Two men are being credited with helping to save the life of Marjorie Becker with some quick actions Friday afternoon.
The men, Middleburgh Fire Department member Shane Foland and his friend Chad Lawyer, were driving south on Route 30 at about 2:30pm when they spotted smoke coming from Ms. Becker’s car which had slid off her driveway which is just north of Mill Valley Road, said Middleburgh Fire Chief Brian Devlin.
When the men got to the vehicle, smoke surrounded Ms. Becker and her side window was open, Chief Devlin said. She was trying to exit the vehicle through the window but could not.
The vehicle was running so the automatic locks were on, so the men had to pull Ms. Becker, of the Middleburgh Telephone Company, through the side window, Chief Devlin said.
Shortly after she was pulled from the vehicle, it was fully involved in flames.
“It could have been devastating,” Chief Devlin said. “She definitely wouldn’t have gotten out of that,” he said of the fire.
Apparently, Ms. Becker’s vehicle slid off her driveway and she was spinning her wheels trying to get back on the road, the Chief said. The fire started in the engine compartment though a cause has not yet been determined.
“They’re definitely heroes though they denied that,” Chief Devlin said.
He noted that it took the fire department only two minutes to get to the scene of the fire Friday.